REALTOR OR FOR SALE BY OWNER?

Many people ask themselves this question when getting ready to put their property on the market. It is true that homeowners can put a sign in the yard, advertise, and show their own property. What does a Realtor really have to offer you? First of all, a Realtor is a trained professional. He or she can assist you in accurately pricing your home for the current market. Your Realtor can also help you with ideas for making your property more attractive to buyers. You are not tied down by having to be available to show your property when a prospect wants to see it. In Batesville most Realtors work as a part of the Multiple Listing Service. We give our clients information on properties that meet their wants and needs listed not only by our own firm, but also other firms within our MLS group. Many times, prospective buyers prefer being shown a property by a Realtor rather than by the homeowner. In order to assess the amount of available storage, buyers want to feel free to open closets, cabinets, and etc. When the homeowner is present buyers are often not comfortable looking the house over thoroughly. A Realtor’s work is not finished simply by bringing a buyer and seller together on an agreed price through an offer and acceptance. The Realtor also helps in arranging for the completion of the sale in seeing that all the terms of the contract are met in a timely manner to bring the transfer of property to the best interests of his or her client.

Sharon Black
Ennis Realty

President Obama and the Subject of Abortion

I received something from the American Family Association that I'd like to pass on to you.

President Obama has lifted a ban on federal funding for international groups that promote or perform abortions, reversing a policy of his predecessor, George W. Bush.
President Obama's actions mean that hundreds of millions of your tax dollars will go to help groups like Planned Parenthood perform abortions around the world.

His actions came one day after the 36th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in all 50 states.

Please visit the American Family Website if you'd like to send an e-mail to President Obama regarding his decision.

Watch a one minute video Click Here

Perspective of Business in Batesville

Coming up February 23^rd, the Chamber will have its 90^th installment of our annual banquet and awards dinner.  The last two years, and years before that, we have had it on campus at UACCB in Independence Hall.  While I will spend some time later telling you more about the awards we will give out, I want to spend some time talking about why this is significant, at least in my opinion.  When you put in perspective the Chamber has been around for ninety-years, that is a pretty amazing feat.  It shows the level of importance the employers of our area have put in our existence.  I think it also shows how involved our Chamber has been in the development of our community over the last ninety-years. 

As the list could go on for a while of the accomplishments, and those of our Board and previous Chairman have made, I think it is more important to discuss how we have worked with people all across our county, state, and national governments during that time.  Recently, we found a treasure trove of pictures in a back cabinet and they are a treasure indeed.  We have pictures of business, people, leaders, grand openings, tours, parties, and so much more that give us a glimpse into a time when our area was really growing and on the cusp of improvements and technology.  We have pictures of Governors, United States Senators, United States Representatives, one United States President before he was President, and so much more.  But that is not what I want to relish in.  I want to relish in the fact that they were all here.  They were working with leaders in our community.  They looked at our area as a center of influence, of importance, and of significance.  While those pictures show us that some forty plus years ago and older our prominence, I believe that we retain much of that today.  With all the new sessions and elected officials taking office this time of year, I am reminded of what the past ninety-years has been like for our area.  I can look back over those pictures, talk with older folks in our area, and know that we were the center of so much.  But, as with time, there are so many things that pose challenges to that progress.  Change is always going on and with it a constant reminder of what needs to be done.  As we embark on our 90^th installment of our banquet, we also begin another year here at the Chamber.  At our banquet we will be sharing with our membership the vision we see for 2009 and going forward.  We can look back over time and see what was accomplished and how.  Bringing back some of those ideas and relationships, I believe, will begin a renaissance in our community that will usher back in to our community that same place of prominence that we enjoyed for so many years.  As a Chamber, we want the “outside” community to know that we are on the move, that we are taking steps to take care of ourselves, and that while we are doing those things, we want them to be on board with us, not the other way around.  We want the leaders outside of our area to know how they can help us, and how they can fit in to our team for the next phase of growth that we are going to experience. 

Do not get me wrong.  I am not being arrogant or condescending in my approach.  But I am looking at this with confidence because we are entirely capable of doing all these things.  We are capable because the people of our community are capable and deserve this from their leadership.  I believe the positions of leadership in our community must be met with humility because of the responsibilities we face, decisions we make, and the future we are molding.  It is an awesome responsibility that must be met with seriousness.  But for those of us in those positions we take our jobs very seriously, with great passion, and a mentality of thinking first and acting second.  We do it because of our community and what we believe is owed to its citizens.  So when you look back over time, and as you look forward to our future, I hope you will share with me the same confidence that we are rebuilding our team and forging ahead for some of the greatest people in all of Arkansas.

New Web site unveiled for Arkansas Military Veterans and their Families

Arkansas military veterans and their families now have a new one-stop resource on the web for all things related to benefits and assistance programs. The web portal, http://arkansasveteran.com/ was unveiled Saturday, January 10th in four locations around the state as part of the 30 Day Reintegration Program for the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Brigade Combat Team just returning from its second tour in Iraq. I was over in Russellville visiting with over 150 National Guard soldiers and their families from the 1st Battalion 206th FA welcoming them back and telling them about the new portal. The web portal was developed by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center network through a grant provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Veterans Assistance and Service Program as a partnership effort between the ASBTDC, SBA, and the Arkansas National Guard. What makes this portal so unique is that it brings together, in one place veteran related resources, news, information and agency contacts for active-duty, reserve and national guard, as well as prior service and retired veterans.

Although the site was paid for through a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration and obviously has a lot of content to provide assistance to military veterans and their families who are either small business owners or considering starting a business, the site provides resources to all veterans, regardless of whether they are business owners or not. The web portal provides links and information about veteran benefits, educational and employment opportunities, health care assistance, disabilities assistance, housing, family matters and legal issues in addition to assistance to small businesses. There are many governmental agencies and non-profit organizations that provide assistance to veterans; this portal was designed to help the veteran locate the resources needed by going to one site. It was also designed to be interactive, not just a webpage with links. Veterans or their families can subscribe to veteran related news feeds and join forum discussion groups about topics of interest or concern to them. By making it an interactive web portal, Arkansas veterans now have access to a centralized source for all of their needs.

It is also intended to provide information and assistance to those veterans or their families we call “Vet-repreneurs” who either own a small business or are considering starting a business. Through our links, news feeds, on-line forums and on-line training opportunities, these Vet-repreneurs have access to information, consulting and training to grow their businesses all at no charge.

We owe a tremendous debt to our state’s veterans and their families for their service to this great nation. This web portal is one small way that the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center network is doing its part to show them our support. If you are a veteran or family member of a veteran I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the assistance available through the portal. If you know a veteran, please pass this on to them and let them know about it.

I am often asked why I spend so much of my time working with veteran owned businesses and those veterans who are considering opening their own business since they make up such a small percentage of the total population. My response, as a retired military officer and father of a young Army captain currently on active duty, is that not only is it the right thing to do, but it makes good economic sense.

I have been working with small businesses and entrepreneurs for over 12 years at the ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center. When I meet these individuals I have learned to look much further than the quality of their business plan. I look in their eyes because I am looking to see if they have what it takes to make the business a success. When I am assessing whether an individual has the real commitment to starting a business I look for determination, a willingness to sacrifice, the ability to endure difficult times, and the ability to subordinate their immediate wants for the long-term good of the business. What I have found out over the years is that those attributes I am looking for in the would-be entrepreneur are the exact qualities that I see every day when I talk to our veterans, especially those young soldiers in the Arkansas National Guard and Reserves. Those young men and women, through their service especially over the past five years of war, demonstrate all those traits that are necessary to make their business idea successful. So not only is it “the right thing to do”, it makes good sense because as a group these soldiers are much more likely to see their plan through and make the business a success.

If you are a veteran, go to the web portal and get involved. If you know a veteran, pass this information on to them. They will thank you for it. And when you meet a veteran, especially one of our young men or women who are part of the Arkansas National Guard and Reserves, thank them from the bottom of your heart because they have made a commitment to serve this country so your children can grow up in a country where they have the right to chose.

Sincerely,

Herb Lawrence

Competitive Advantages for Small Businesses Even in a Down Economy

I know the economy is tough, and many small business owners are concerned about keeping afloat during this recession. But savvy entrepreneurs have some competitive advantages over larger businesses that they can use if they will just start thinking outside the box especially in the area of marketing. As larger businesses downsize and start to “turtle up” there are opportunities for entrepreneurs to exploit their natural competitive advantages to connect with customers in new and innovative ways. Here is a short list of what I consider to be perfect advantages of small businesses if they will just put them to work.

First – successful entrepreneurs have always known that they can’t be all things to all people instead they adopt a narrow market focus. By finding a small segment of customer they can create a strong reputation for serving a narrow market by finding a lucrative niche.

Second- Small businesses are much closer to their actual customers. They know the issues affecting their customers because it is affecting them as well and can alter their product or service to give customers what they need. By being closer to their customers they can easily create new products or services or change their offering bundles to help their customers.

Third they have better opportunities to partner with other businesses to create networks of strategic partnerships to help each other meet customer needs.

Fourth – without a large marketing budget, small business owners have an opportunity to use Guerrilla Marketing tactics, low cost even no cost innovative ways to establish real relationships and communications to their customers. Real marketing after all is nothing more than developing trust and confidence between the business and the customer to be mutually beneficial to one another.

Fifth – building on number 4, small business is personal. Customers and markets are hungry for businesses that allow them to connect to something beyond the product or service. Entrepreneurs who understand that first and foremost they are selling relationships can deliver a value story that has meaning to customers.

Finally – technology, especially using e-commerce and social media options can dramatically improve a small business’s ability to communicate with customers at very reduced costs in ways never before available. Even if your small business does not sell product or service over the internet, having a web presence is vital and using e-business tools to connect with possible customers has never been greater.

Yes, the economy is rough right now but instead of wringing your hands and hoping it will go away; savvy entrepreneurs are surviving, even thriving by capitalizing on their natural competitive advantages especially in developing innovative marketing opportunities. Share your thoughts about advantages small businesses have when it comes to marketing and developing business relationships.